In a Word... Birthday
It’s probably time I decided what to do when I grow up: assume a role, be somebody/something
In a Word
Why did the Irish Constitution not recognise our third language?
You can’t go anywhere in Ireland – Gaeltacht or ‘Galltacht’ – without hearing it spoken
Should I risk disturbing the hungover young woman or meekly go look for another seat?
In a word ... train
Pithy is just not enough to make wit great, it must also advance the meaning of a sentence
In a Word ... Wit
In a Word...Phobia
Conventional phobias of small spaces, flying or spiders are out. What about arachibutyrophobia, the fear of peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth?
Ireland is officially one of the least sunny places in the world – and that can only make it more popular
In a Word ... Tourist
The greatest Frenchman of the 20th century and the Irish blood that flowed in his veins
In a Word ... France
In a Word...Homonyms
How do you explain to a foreign national the meaning of the word ‘grand’, as we use it?
In a Word...Food
When it came to food, we lived in a very monochrome Ireland, spuds with everything, cabbage and carrots with most, plus meat or fish
In a Word...Patrick
When I joined this newspaper years ago, I announced: ‘I am Patsy and by this name shall I be known heretofore. Hear ye me!’ And, lo, so it has been
In a Word... Coffee
A coffee shop experience something of a trial - here is some advice to navigate those exotic menus
In a Word ... Generation
You might say that, by any objective standard, the current designation of ‘a generation’ has become absurd
In a Word ... Youth
A report has found that Irish 15-year-olds smoke less, drink less alcohol and exercise more than their European peers. This is disgraceful
In a Word ... Cork
Cork people believe they have it so good they are not bothered about making an impact on the national consciousness at all. To them, clearly, Cork is all
Navigating spam emails: ‘I’m overwhelmed that my address won me ‘the sum of $500,000’’
It is heartwarming to know so many people are thinking of me and ready to offer unexpected gifts
In a Word ... Swiftie (the originals)
Those of us who admire Jonathan Swift, the contrary old weed, were the original Swifties
In a Word ... Word
‘Words are like leaves and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found’
In a Word...Collective
For instance, why ‘a murder of crows’? It seems too harsh. Or ‘an unkindness of ravens’?
A joey is the perfect description for a word within a word
‘Masculine’ contains within it the word ‘male’. Another is ‘chicken’ with ‘hen’ within, and ‘honourable’ with ‘noble’ within. Isn’t that thrilling?
In a Word...Caesar
You still have an awful lot of fans out there. They gave me an insight into how you probably felt that March day in the forum
Brace yourself, Brigid: Tips to look after your husband from a 1950s publication
‘Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure’
When Roscommon girls were ‘useless for cooking or anything else’
There was fury at an educational committee meeting in the 1930s about women training to enter the workforce
Santy, I want to grow up to be free of cares. Can you arrange it?
In a Word... Puddle: Coming towards me was a happy little girl in her shiny new wellingtons with her happy young father. They were passing a puddle and she just jumped right into it
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices